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Network Vision/LTE - Nashville Market (including Knoxville/Chattanooga/Tri-Cities)


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While I am looking forward to the promise of 4G (we have a 3G puck at the top of a rohn tower...using Millenicom's resold Sprint 50GB/mo plan for rural Internet), I must say that 3G in Lenoir City has improved drastically over the past week or so. In the mornings, we used to average 1mbps/512kbps, and in the evenings we used to average 128kbps/32kbps. This week we've been at 1.3mbps/512kbps in the mornings and around 768kbps/256kbps in the evenings with burst over 1mbps. I have actually been able to watch a little Netflix. :) Signal level has improved very slightly between the winter and now, but the noise level has remained very low. I've known for a long time that the bandwidth problem was on Sprint's side.

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While I am looking forward to the promise of 4G (we have a 3G puck at the top of a rohn tower...using Millenicom's resold Sprint 50GB/mo plan for rural Internet), I must say that 3G in Lenoir City has improved drastically over the past week or so. In the mornings, we used to average 1mbps/512kbps, and in the evenings we used to average 128kbps/32kbps. This week we've been at 1.3mbps/512kbps in the mornings and around 768kbps/256kbps in the evenings with burst over 1mbps. I have actually been able to watch a little Netflix. :) Signal level has improved very slightly between the winter and now, but the noise level has remained very low. I've known for a long time that the bandwidth problem was on Sprint's side.

Wow that's really interesting to a suburban dweller like myself. Quick question, what's the point of having a fiber line as compared to coax or even copper if the bandwidth is so minimal?

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Wow that's really interesting to a suburban dweller like myself. Quick question, what's the point of having a fiber line as compared to coax or even copper if the bandwidth is so minimal?

There's a number of reasons that I went with fiber. One is that at high frequencies (like 1900Mhz), the coax attenuation gets out of hand. I'm actually using some short segments of LMR-400 coax (good stuff) up there, but if I'd run them all the way to my house (around 150'), I'd be looking at about 9db of loss. That'd hurt me pretty bad since an unaided cell phone on the ground gets an average RSSI of -117 dbm (for average joes, that's about -5 [yes, negative five] bars). :) Another reason is that the tower makes a really nice lightening rod. Fiber lessens the possibility that the rest my network will be burnt to a crisp in the event of a lightening strike. I have 120V AC running up that tower to power the devices...but it goes directly to a box on the utility pole - does not pass go and does not collect $200, so hopefully it'll leave my house alone. I've got grounding rods around that tower everywhere too. I also wanted to leave the mini-WISP possibility open long term, so I could end up with more bandwidth and more devices at the top eventually. I actually ran 12 strands of OM3 fiber up there...perhaps a little overkill...but I also ran a leg to my detached garage where I keep my 4 post server rack, and that's another story.....all of this to avoid satellite's higher latencies and lower bandwidth caps or paying Charter $20,000 to run cable out to me.

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Just moved to the Tri-Cities area and man is this sweet. LTE all around town and the 3G isn't too shabby either. It's so nice to be in an area where the network works and it's only going to get better. So exciting :D

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Just moved to the Tri-Cities area and man is this sweet. LTE all around town and the 3G isn't too shabby either. It's so nice to be in an area where the network works and it's only going to get better. So exciting :D

 

But, who is going to map out North Knoxville?

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I can pick up LTE from the Tower in Riceville TN near I75 but it seems like only one or two sectors are working. You can even see on sensorly's maps all the signal is to the south side of the tower. Is this normal as they fire up the new rru's? There was a tower in Cleveland that seemed to be the same way at first. I can say the LTE in Cleveland is working very nice now

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

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This is where I have been mapping in my area. Cleveland TN.

The map goes farther and Chattanooga has about the same if not more LTE coverage.

uploadfromtaptalk1367734003485.jpg

 

The Chattanooga coverage hasnt changed much in over a month. Looks like the crews have spread out over the entire East TN area. I do notice most towers in this area around Athens have had new panels up for a couple months. Every few weeks they turn 1 on or at least a sector or 2 on. I assume for testing.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

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Yea, I hope they get more towers up soon.. I was in Charlotte this past weekend for a concert.. I had a really good 4g sig, but as the day went on and more ppl showed up.. The Tower had issues.. I wonder if Knoxville will have issues like that on game days

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Just moved to the Tri-Cities area and man is this sweet. LTE all around town and the 3G isn't too shabby either. It's so nice to be in an area where the network works and it's only going to get better. So exciting :D

 

What are some areas where you find strong 4G? I want to go there with my HTC One and see if I can get reception.

 

The reason I ask is that on my HTC One I can barely get 4G anywhere in Johnson City. I got it once when I was stationary at Taco Bell in Gray, and once while I was stationary at the Wendy's in Boones Creek. I have never gotten 4G while driving even on major arteries like I-26 or State of Franklin. Based on what I see elsewhere online it seems like he HTC One might have serious 4G/LTE problems with some areas of Sprint's NV rollout =/ I want to test it at known strong locations before I consider returning the phone.

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What are some areas where you find strong 4G? I want to go there with my HTC One and see if I can get reception.

 

The reason I ask is that on my HTC One I can barely get 4G anywhere in Johnson City. I got it once when I was stationary at Taco Bell in Gray, and once while I was stationary at the Wendy's in Boones Creek. I have never gotten 4G while driving even on major arteries like I-26 or State of Franklin. Based on what I see elsewhere online it seems like he HTC One might have serious 4G/LTE problems with some areas of Sprint's NV rollout =/ I want to test it at known strong locations before I consider returning the phone.

 

I have the same problem, I thought it was my phone.

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Was picking up LTE off Douglas dam Rd in Sevierville didn'thave enough battery to map it but saw on completed maps that they turned one on in kodak.

 

First rule about mapping, you always have a charger with you.

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I'm going to be visiting Nashville in July, and specifically for a few days I'm going to be at Belmont University. Does anyone know if this location has solid 4G coverage? I am hoping to turn on the mobile hotspot feature on my phone and use that. If there isn't solid in-building coverage, I'll just use a Verizon LTE MiFi that I have. Any reports on how coverage is around the University would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

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I'm going to be visiting Nashville in July, and specifically for a few days I'm going to be at Belmont University. Does anyone know if this location has solid 4G coverage? I am hoping to turn on the mobile hotspot feature on my phone and use that. If there isn't solid in-building coverage, I'll just use a Verizon LTE MiFi that I have. Any reports on how coverage is around the University would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

The signal there is good. They just turned on a LTE tower a few weeks ago.that is less than 200 yards from the campus.

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Anyone notice that little speck of 4G around Lenoir City?

 

Not until you said something. That's strange. When did you first see it?

 

btw, I was on Alcoa Hwy across from Hardees near UT Hospital last night. I was getting 30+ on LTE inside the bar. That new tower appears to be rocking right now.

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Not until you said something. That's strange. When did you first see it?

 

btw, I was on Alcoa Hwy across from Hardees near UT Hospital last night. I was getting 30+ on LTE inside the bar. That new tower appears to be rocking right now.

 

Noticed it the day before yesterday. So the speed test that was done, was this before or after you had been at the bar for a while ;) .

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Updated the map today. Here's some of the notable updates.

 

Moved up to Pre-Launch status:

 

* Athens, TN

* Daytona Beach, FL

* Lawton, OK

* Lumberton, NC

* Milford, CT

* Morganton, NC

* Norwalk, CT

* Pinehurst, NC

* Sevierville, TN

* Southern Pines, NC

* Wayne, NJ

 

LTE now available:

 

* Denver, Colorado!

* Alice, TX

* Laredo, TX

* Aberdeen, WA

* Madison, WI

 

 

Athens, TN finally, but still nothing lit up yet. Riceville had a sector on it's tower lit up for a couple weeks but Riceville and Calhoun were both down last night.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

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